So um… who remembers that time I painted my tiny primary bathroom orange? It’s been just shy of 2 years since I make this horrific home decor mistake — and we’ve been living with it ever since! That means that DAILY my skintone looks insane while showering and, quite honestly, it is beyond time to come clean and own up to my mistake. I feel like it isn’t often that we see bloggers and content creators own up to their epic fails, so here I am… owning my orange nightmare and attempting to fix it as affordably as possible! Let’s dig into my newest primary bathroom makeover project.
Primary Bathroom Makeover #3: Fixing My Epic Paint Color Fail and Biggest Home Decor Mistake
Before: Listing Photos and Move In Photos
When we first toured the cabin, the bathroom was the definition of bland. 1990s beige, generic Home Depot tile, lack of a sink, sloped ceiling… everything was terrible. And there was no storage.
Makeover #1: Institutional Blue
Upon moving in, I decided to use some leftover paint from when I painted Andy’s Craftsman House dining room. I had a spare gallon and thought it would be fine… but then it felt incredibly institutional. The blue was TOO saturated, too cool and just not right at all. It made the space feel even more boring somehow? I don’t even know, but it made me really hate being in the space.
You can tell I hated it because I didn’t even take ‘after’ photos of the paint! These photos are literally the only ones I have of the space before I painted it orange.
Makeover #2: Orange You Glad You Painted the Ceiling, Too
Ughhhhh, it’s bad right?? Honestly, I chose this paint color based on a tiny color chip and thought it would be GREAT. But in hindsight, I definitely got too big for my britches and thought I was SO GOOD at picking BIG BOLD COLOR. But alas, it turns out that I am not a warm paint color girlie… not in the slightest. And thus, my biggest home decor mistake was born.
So now, nearly 2 years after the primary bathroom makeover reveal, I have some major regrets. Specifically that I have spent all that time looking horrible naked.
Makeover #3: Budget-Friendly, But Also Serene
Literally the first thing I plan to do is prime the ENTIRE BATHROOM back to white just to get a breath of fresh air in this tiny space. Then, I am painting the ceiling white. Normal, clean, bright flat white. This home decor mistake has really taught me the value of a simple white ceiling and all the magical properties that it can bring to a space — like making low ceilings feel taller. This is literally an interior design trick I’ve written about here on the blog so many times and YET. I definitely thought I was too cool to paint my ceiling white… and here we are!
After that, the walls are getting repainted POSTHASTE. And the color? Marine Layer, a dusty, soft blue that is less saturated and way more restful. I’m really looking forward to getting a softer paint color on the walls. Yes, I know it’s reminscient of the blue from the second iteration, but it’s a vastly different shade and will be so much better.
Then I have some really good finishing touches that will hopefully transform the bathroom into a more restful, serene space:
- Peel & stick floor tiles: while the print on these floor tiles doesn’t feel the most updated/modern to me, they are also the least egregious and most affordable option I was able to order on a whim. They look great with the paint sample and will help to reset the overall aesthetic of our tiny primary bathroom. I’m putting them directly over our existing tile because I hope to fully renovate the bathroom soon-ish.
- Linen shower curtain: Because the space is SO small, I opted for a simple white linen shower curtain. I want the soft drape of linen to make it feel a bit more relaxed, plus I love the ties instead of shower curtain rings for a vaguely European feel.
- New toilet: this is the final step in removing all evidence of the previous owners and I wish we had done it sooner.
- Bathmat: I shopped a recent Anthropologie sale to score this scalloped bathmat for a song!
I still have a few things to figure out like storage (so the door can open all the way), artwork, and maybe some plants. But for now, I am really stoked with the direction it’s going.
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So what are your thoughts on this primary bathroom makeover project? Am I being too picky? Or have I put it off for too long?? Leave a comment and let me know what you think!
Tiny primary bathrooms are so hard to get right! I’m looking forward to seeing you transform yours. I’ve struggled over the years to complement our original 1962 pink tile countertop & shower, which I still love.